


Warmer than the air in summer

by deepestbluest



Category: Naruto
Genre: M/M, POV Outsider, Parties
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-14
Updated: 2020-01-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:15:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22257061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deepestbluest/pseuds/deepestbluest
Summary: Sometimes, you have to be cruel to be kind. Or: Rock Lee getting turned down by Sakura turns out to be a good thing about a decade later.
Relationships: Gaara/Rock Lee
Comments: 18
Kudos: 168





	Warmer than the air in summer

**Author's Note:**

> Besides Gaara/Lee, there's a little Shikamaru/Temari (In someone else's hands- my hands- they would've had a better love story), a bit of Guy/Kakashi if you're feeling it, and the veeeeery beginning of Ino/Sakura
> 
> I've got no idea when this is set, but it's sometime after Part 1. Maybe after Part 2? Definitely after Part 1
> 
> The title is from a song I can't find 😅

Konoha has been planning this party for months. They cleaned up and cleared out a section of the forest, built and arranged fire pits and things to sit on, collected money for food and drinks, and spent a full week once the rest was ready waiting for the weather to clear.

Finally, it’s just before dusk, and everything is ready.

Sakura had thought she’d just sit with Shizune for most of it, but Ino came and grabbed her half an hour ago and dragged her to the side so they could catch up.

It’s good to be friends with her again, Sakura reflects.

“Oh, here comes Lee!”

Sakura follows Ino’s finger to the line of trees where, as promised, Lee is jogging into view He’s still got his leg warmers on, but he traded his green jumpsuit for standard shinobi uniform pants.

And no shirt.

“Sorry I’m late!” he shouts at the gathering in general. Most of the party stops so people can shout back, and the rest of them raise their drinks in recognition that the party has finally started.

Rock Lee is, after all, the life of every party.

Behind him comes Gaara, who gets a smaller, more muted welcome, but that’s the fate of anyone who comes in after Lee and isn’t Naruto. 

“Who knew someone who doesn’t drink would be the key to a good party?” Ino asks, shaking her head. “It’s like he’s making things fun just because he wants them to be.”

Sakura shakes her head, though she does agree with Ino. Lee is just one of those people. Like Naruto, but with a lower risk of ninjutsu backfiring. “Maybe he is.”

Ino doesn’t reply, so Sakura elbows her in the ribs.

“Ow! What are you doing, Sakura?” she whines.

“Stop undressing Lee.”

“I’m not!” Her eyes drift back over to Lee, who’s locked in a flexing battle with Naruto. They’re next to one of the smaller bonfires, and no one seems to have any objections to the show they’re putting on. “He sure did get buff, though… And to think. You could have been with him if you hadn’t been so caught up in Sasuke.”

Sakura drives her elbow into Ino’s ribs a second time. “Shut up! We were twelve! And it’s not like I stopped caring about Sasuke.”

She doesn’t mean to lose her good mood, but talking about Sasuke always has that effect.

Ino looks over at her and narrows her eyes like she’s gearing up to do something horrible to cheer Sakura up, like possessing Shikamaru and making him climb up a tree or calling Naruto over.

Or worse- calling _Lee_ over.

“Ino,” Sakura warns, but before she can come up with an adequate threat, a quiet voice says, “Excuse me, Sakura-san.”

Turning around, Sakura finds herself looking at Gaara.

He looks better than she’s ever seen him. He meets her eyes, and instead of murderous intent, there’s just the same chronic exhaustion every kage has. Even the perpetual dark rings around his eyes don’t seem as stark.

He smiles at her softly, and Sakura finds herself smiling back.

“Did you come here with Lee or did you just happen to arrive at the same time?” she asks. “I know he goes between Konoha and Suna like Temari does.”

“We came together,” he says, glancing over at Lee, who’s got people throwing things for him to spin kick into the fire. Of course Naruto is throwing a steady stream of things at him, but Kiba, Kankurō, and, somehow, Anko aren’t far behind.

When he looks back at her, Gaara’s expression has grown even softer. “That’s why I wanted to talk to you, actually.”

“Me? What, about Lee?”

Gaara nods. “I heard what you and Ino were talking about-”

Sakura’s stomach drops. The last thing she needs is people thinking she’s together with Lee. “That was ages ago, you know. I doubt Lee even remembers.”

“No, he remembers. He told me, in too much detail, about his crush on you. He also mentioned that you turned him down for Sasuke.”

“Wh- Why would he tell you about that?” Sakura stutters, voice rising in embarrassment.

Gaara sighs. “He wanted to be upfront with me about his history. He also mentioned Neji and two girls whose names I don’t remember.”

“His history… You don’t mean…?”

Gaara's lips twitch. “It seems Konoha’s Beautiful Green Beast flourishes in the sand as well, yes.”

Over Sakura’s shoulder, Ino makes an undignified noise. “You and _Lee?”_

Gaara nods, his expression somber except for the quirk of amusement in his lips. “I didn’t come over just to tell you, of course. That would have been strange."

“Of course,” Sakura echoes faintly. “Why did you come over?”

”I wanted to thank you.”

Ino makes another undignified noise, and Sakura frowns, trying to follow Gaara’s logic and pretty sure she is.

“Thank me for what?” she asks anyway.

“For picking the lesser one,” Gaara deadpans. “If you hadn’t turned Lee down, he wouldn’t be with me. My condolences on the outcome of your choice, but I suppose I owe you for it. Let me know if I can help you find love at some point.”

He bows slightly, then turns and walks away.

Sakura watches him make a beeline for Lee, who lights up when he sees Gaara.

“Sorry, everybody, but I’m taking a break now!” Lee calls. The whole group- and it’s a big group, bigger than it should be for a guy kicking things into a fire- groans in protest, but Lee promises he’ll be back later.

He puts an arm around Gaara’s shoulders, and Sakura watches, mystified, as Gaara leans into him. He must say something because Lee laughs and gently bumps their heads together.

Sakura shakes her head. “They really are a couple.”

Ino shifts to stand shoulder to shoulder with her and sighs. Sakura leans into her without thinking about it. There's a chill in the air and Ino is warm.

”They’re a good match, aren’t they? I don’t like thinking of Gaara as cute, but when he’s standing next to Lee like that…”

“Standing next to his adoring boyfriend, he’s definitely cute.”

“Don’t sound so wistful,” Sakura chides. “You’ve got Sai.”

Ino tilts her head, a rare thoughtful look crossing her face. “And you have Sasuke.”

Tilting her own head back to look up at the sky, Sakura wonders about that. She can’t admit that to Ino, because Ino would laugh and tell her to be happier. Sasuke likes her, after all. Of all the girls in the school, Sakura is the one Sasuke learned to tolerate.

_What a low bar... Is that really all I want?_

Because she’s looking up at the sky, Sakura is the first to see Guy arrive.

“Here comes Guy-sensei,” she tells Ino. “I think he’s going to make an entrance.”

She doesn’t check to see if Ino looks up as well. She knows Ino does because of the noise she makes.

They watch together as Guy’s momentary flight becomes a rapid, fiery descent.

“It’s kind of like watching a shooting star,” Ino says.

Sakura can’t tell if she’s serious. She’s right either way.

Guy lands hard enough the ground shakes, and the first thing he says does the same to Sakura’s eardrums.

“Lee! So your beloved has returned to Konoha!”

Gaara watches Guy’s unstoppable approach through the sea of shinobi with a look someone else might describe as impassive. Sakura, who knows Gaara a little better, thinks it’s more like dread.

Over by Sakura and Ino, something in the trees rustles, and Kakashi steps through. He spots Guy and frowns. “Oh, he beat me.”

“You missed it, Kakashi-sensei,” Ino tells him. She still sounds shaken by the sight of Guy’s arrival, and Sakura doesn’t blame her. “When he appeared, it was like… It was like…”

“It was kind of beautiful,” Sakura finishes.

"Or weird."

Kakashi looks between them for a long moment. “As responsible kunoichi, I need you to do me a favor, okay?” He smiles just like he used to do when he was their team leader and trying to convince Naruto not to do something stupid. “Don’t tell him beautiful was an option.”

He doesn’t wait for them to promise, just slouches off into the crowd.

Ino nudges Sakura. “Hey.”

“Hey, what?”

“You look sad.”

“Well, I’m not,” Sakura says too quickly.

It’s a trap. It’s an obvious trap, and Sakura just walked right into it.

Eyes bright, Ino takes her hands and says, “In that case, you’ll help me pick a tree to make Shikamaru climb.”

“You know Temari will hit you if you do that again, right?” Sakura asks. She lets Ino pull her away, though, and when the tree Ino picks isn’t tall enough, Sakura tells her so.

They rejoin the group, someone passes out drinks, people start digging into the food, and eventually, Sakura hides her laughter in her hands as Ino holds up her hands in a familiar gesture and hops into Shikamaru’s body.

By the time Temari figures out where her boyfriend is, Shikamaru’s gotten tired of waiting for someone to get him and fallen asleep on a branch and Ino and Sakura are sitting next to each other by the big bonfire.

Lee is kicking things into every fire now, with Guy acting as goalie.

“It’s a good night, isn’t it?” Ino asks.

Sakura nods. Her belly is full of whatever drink is getting passed around and all the things she ate off Ino’s plate, and despite the chill in the air, she feels comfortably warm as she lays her head on Ino’s shoulder.

It’s a bad position to sleep in, she tells herself, but Ino is nodding off, too. At least Sakura won’t be the only one whose neck hurts in the morning.

**Author's Note:**

> The original/tl;dr version of Gaara and Sakura's exchange-  
> Gaara: Hey thanks for having such bad taste  
> Sakura: ???  
> Gaara: If you'd liked Lee, he wouldn't be going out with me. Enjoy your subpar boyfriend
> 
> Anyway, I love Gaara and Lee, and the women in Naruto deserve better romances. If Kishimoto wants to argue with me about this, he can DM me. I will block him on sight, but he can still try
> 
> Come say hi on [tumblr](https://asotin.tumblr.com) if you'd like to!


End file.
